*published 7/9/25

I absolutely loved the artwork. It was such a cute and charming cookbook. It was very straightforward and covered a good variety of entrees, drinks, and desserts. All of them looked so good that I wanted to try them all and eat them! It was a good, playful introduction to Japanese food and a great addition for any anime fan! I would definitely recommend checking it out!

This was a great book about anime, one of my fav things in the world and food, which is also my fav thing in the world and the photos are so well laid out, and the descriptions are well thought out I loved all the tips and tricks to,o such great colour and presentation.

This is such a lovely cookbook full of fun recipes inspired by your favourite anime. I really enjoyed it and definitely want to get myself a physical copy to have in the house. The illustrations are so colourful and detailed.

I requested this as a jokey surprise for my sons, one of whom is in culinary school and one who loves to eat; both have outgrown anime but have fond memories of Pokemon and such.

Well, we've been getting a lot of use out of it. There are great illustrations and easy, tasty recipes! This is a perfect gift for anyone who loves food and anime. We bought the hard copy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review a digital copy of this book. All opinions are mine and freely given.

It was a really cute book, I liked the idea and how it was organized. But I didn't try any of the recipes to know if they actually worked.

Having thoroughly enjoyed “The Anime Chef Cookbook” from Nadine Estero, I was eagerly looking forward to her follow-up “The Anime Café: 50 Iconic Treats, Snacks, and Drinks from Your Favorite Anime”. Needless to say, I was once again thrilled by the variety of recipes and drinks taken from and inspired by various anime series and episodes.

Being more of a reader than a watcher, anime is not my strong suit, but (through my daughter) even I recognize a lot of the inspirations behind the recipes. From extremely popular series, such as Sailor Moon and My Hero Academia, to movies (Spirited Away) and even video games (Pokemon), Ms. Estero ties each recipe to a specific scene or episode, showing how the art of cooking is tied closely to the art of anime. The chapters are tied to general “Café” themes, from Cute Café to to Outdoor Café to Bar Café, and yes, the Bar Café does contain alcoholic drinks for us adults as well!

As in the previous chapter, the recipes truly do vary greatly in complexity, with several requiring quite a bit of imagination to qualify as a recipe (Apple slices? Milk with honey?). Others however involve a much higher level of skill in the kitchen, both cooking and baking, such as making sponge cake or dumplings from scratch. For some of the recipes, it would also help if one has an Asian grocery store nearby.

Favorites? Since I love Spy x Family, the Anya and Bond Dumplings were fun. My daughter loves the Tri-Colored Dango as well as Senku’s Three-Layer Tea Latte. And we both agree that the Dugtrio Sandwiches really do remind us of Pokemon.

So another fun outing from Ms. Estero. I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Rock Point via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is a fun cookbook perfect for anime fans! There are lots of illustrations throughout that are fantastic! The recipes are easy to follow and creative. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Nadine Estero,Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This cook-book was so so sweet. I absolutely adore how well done it was with the recipe and the pictures of the food, which weren't exactly taken pictures but drawn.
The peach buns! I giggled at the picture and am in awe at the recipe, absolutely need to try it out.

This book is amazing. My husband is big into anime so when I saw this , I had to jump on it. The pictures are great. The recipes are easy to follow. Following along with the recipes in the pictures, it made a great date night. There were so many shows that my husband enjoyed that we had to make multiple recipes. The results were always great!

This book is both practical and cute! I can't wait to try some of the recipes in this. Although some of the ingredients may be difficult to buy for certain dishes. But there are also simple recipes that are super beautiful and don't take much time to make.

What an adorable and nerdy cookbook! This book, with its concise recipes and wonderful illustrations, is so perfect for any anime fan who has looked at animated food and gone, "I wanna eat that!" As a home baker who watches a few too many anime, this cookbook will definitely see some use in my home.

One of the things that made me fall in love with anime was the food and cooking scenes and to have these recipes now in reach through this book is such a gift. The book was full of dishes from familiar animes, and I loved that the cookbook references the episode/context. A must have for anime fans that love to cook.

How do you not love this book!?
The the pictures are literally adorable and the recipes are presented in a way that are actually relatively easy to follow. I was given an ARC by Nadine Estero and NetGalley (thank you so much) but I will ABSOLUTELY purchase a physical copy.
This is a 10 out of 10 for me.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Anime Café: 50 Iconic Treats, Snacks, and Drinks from Your Favorite Anime by Nadine Estero was an absolute delight to look through. The table of contents divided the recipes into different styles of cafes, like for picnics, gift giving, or anytime. Each recipe is inspired by a different anime from classics like Clannad, Naruto, and Sailor Moon, to newer favorites like Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Spy Family and even includes the corresponding episode number. Each recipe also includes a beautiful animated picture of EVERY SINGLE RECIPE that looks delicious, a lovely description, and time estimates for every step of the making process, even decorating time. This was a "treat" to check out and I definitely want to try out several of these recipes sometime.

This is a gorgeously illustrated cookbook with real recipes for the food on various anime shows. A lovely gift for anyone who likes cooking and anime.

The attention to detail! The illustrations! The references! This cookbook is wonderfully made!

This book is the perfect gift for any Anime lover! Especially since it has a good range of recipes and various levels of difficulty.

As a Japanese girlie who is an avid Anime enjoyer- I approve!

I love watching anime and always feel so hungry when I see how delicious the food looks and this provided so many fun and beautiful recipes to test

a very cute little cookbook, and a great intro to Japanese style cooking for beginners! The illustrations were adorable as well.

A delightful culinary journey through beloved anime worlds. Estero captures the essence of iconic drinks and snacks, from Studio Ghibli classics to One Piece adventures. Each recipe is an invitation to savor nostalgia, beautifully accompanied by anime-style food illustrations. It seamlessly blends fandom love, creativity, and mouthwatering flavors, making it a must-have for anime enthusiasts and foodies alike.

Some of the recipes sound easy enough I could even make them. The art makes me wish I wasn't such a picky eater and bad cook. Everything looks so good. Cannot wait to try some of these.

5 stars